Laura DiBella was appointed as Florida’s first female Secretary of Commerce, and her former position combined with extensive economic development experience allows her to use her business, government, capitol connections, and vast knowledge of the regulatory and procurement processes to provide clients with government relations and consulting services. Prior to joining Adams and Reese, Laura was the former President of Business Development at FloridaCommerce; President/CEO at Enterprise Florida; President of the Florida Opportunity Fund (Florida’s Venture Capital arm), gaining knowledge of the state-funded startup ecosystem; Executive Director of Florida Harbor Pilots Association; Port Director of Port of Fernandina Ocean Highway and Port Authority; and Executive Director of Nassau County Economic Development Board. She has also been a Florida-licensed real estate broker for over 20 years. A dynamic ambassador for Florida’s business, Laura’s wide-ranging experience guides her in assisting clients in many areas at the intersection of business and government, including clients that need legislative and executive branch representation, economic development strategy and consulting, including, but not limited to, site selection, recruitment and retention project assistance, international trade, venture capital, and knowledge of the processes of the State of Florida government and procedures and processes of local governments. Laura works with out-of-state, as well as international businesses looking to relocate into Florida and also works with companies looking to expand within the state, maximizing their investment opportunities and incentive packages to help spur their commercial growth. Laura’s assistance to support and attract businesses diversifies the Florida economy, creates well-paid jobs, provides avenues of access to capital and funding, and connects all parties to the necessary public-private partnerships to drive economic development across the state. Laura is an experienced leader, strategic competitor, and overall brand ambassador with a demonstrated history of success in both private and public industry across numerous disciplines. She is also experienced in business development, project management, marketing, strategic planning, public relations, and public speaking. Laura is a co-founder of the LATAM Family Office Society, an exclusive, membership-only organization based in Miami that works to bring Latin American family offices together by introducing LATAM family offices to the U.S. ecosystem and creating a collaborative environment with U.S. investors, U.S. family offices, and U.S. financial institutions. Laura has a career of dedicated community service. She is a devout advocate and supporter of the communities that she represents throughout the state of Florida and in the industries that she champions through her work. Laura serves as Chair of the Aerospace Alliance; Vice Chair of the FDOT Freight Advisory Committee; former Vice Chair of Florida State College at Jacksonville District Board of Trustees; former Vice Chair of Florida Ocean Alliance Board of Directors; former Co-Chair of the Florida Economic Development Council Florida 2030 Task Force; U.S. Constitution Scholarship Foundation Advisory Committee member; MARAD America’s Marine Highway Advisory Panel member; FEMA National Business Emergency Operations Center (NBEOC) member; and volunteer as a certified guardian in Florida’s 2nd Judicial Circuit Guardian ad Litem Program.
